Colors Not Too Big for Their Breeches

ENGLISH-STYLE riding clothes are not called habits for nothing. Change comes so slowly some riders still miss those funny old mushroom-shape breeches. But in recent years, tradition has sprouted a few hairline cracks in the gear offered for schooling and hacking around.

“Color is definitely becoming more accepted here,” said Belinda Hyde, an advertising saleswoman at The Chronicle of the Horse, a magazine that’s the bible of English riding in the United States. She said the mad, plaid equestrians of Europe, who sport bold colors and oversize checks, have influenced clothing makers.

New wicking fabrics, a particular boon in the summer, given the rider’s partnership with a half ton of sweating animal radiating heat, have received a better reception than wild patterns. But bright colors and more casual styles are the carrots manufacturers dangle before young riders, hoping they’ll add to their muted show-ring wardrobes.